CKAN Issue, need help.

[w1r3dh4ck3r]

Hello, so my issue is; CKAN downloads at 2kbps and it makes it impossible to download some mods on top of the speed issue downloads never finish, so I wanted to know if there is a way to download the zip files manually and put them on the downloads folder of ckan and have it detect it (can't do that right now because CKAN adds some sort of code in front of the name), tried asking in the IRC but had no reply as of yet (sincerelly the thing is abandoned or you need to wait for ours to see a reply).

So to summarize: How do I make CKAN detect a file that I downloaded manually? what is that code in front of the name of the files?

[Drakomis]

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

Hello, so my issue is; CKAN downloads at 2kbps and it makes it impossible to download some mods on top of the speed issue downloads never finish, so I wanted to know if there is a way to download the zip files manually and put them on the downloads folder of ckan and have it detect it (can't do that right now because CKAN adds some sort of code in front of the name), tried asking in the IRC but had no reply as of yet (sincerelly the thing is abandoned or you need to wait for ours to see a reply).

So to summarize: How do I make CKAN detect a file that I downloaded manually? what is that code in front of the name of the files?

Howdy,

I use CKAN all the time. I depend on it, actually. Everytime I boot up KSP it's the first thing I do. Lot of these newer guys love doing it the old fashion way, and I used to also. Uninstalling, reinstalling, blah blah blah. Either way, good choice there! Now, as per your question. I can answer it per my own experience and someone with more experience can assuredly answer the rest. As far as downloading and placing the mods into your folder, that won't help. CKAN will detect it as an already downloaded mod and therefore have an AD beside it. Sometimes even the best mod authors choose not to work with CKAN. In those cases, CKAN won't allow downloads or, if they do, CKAN detects it as a version that won't work with your present one. I suggest doing it the old fashion way and let CKAN take care of your other mods.

I don't know much about the code. Is CKAN abandoned? I'm not sure, but it's constantly updated. I'm not positive but I know somewhere along the line a lot of people had some issues with it, but I'm sure it wasn't the program itself up until some kind of change. Again, someone else has to answer for that, but for me personally I've always used CKAN. I'm not sure how to make it "recognize" newer files at all, because if it doesn't have it within its database how can it download it in the first place?

Now, here's the easiest answer I can give. Your download speed? I can almost see that the file you're downloading is spacedock. For some awful reason, all those nice mods from spacedock have been around 50kbs when everything else I download is around 2000kbps. It's the site itself, not CKAN.

Again, I've yet to come across anyone else within this community who has contributed more to the ease of reinstalls better than CKAN. When that day comes, I'll gladly look into the alternative, but right now I depend on CKAN. The old fashion way just gets really tiring after a while, especially since CKAN keeps track of stuff.

Regardless, I hope that answers something for ya! Sorry I can't help with the coding.

[TranceaddicT]

First thing is to make sure you're running the latest version of CKAN . 

https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/CKAN/releases

There is a new functionality, as of 3.0.1, that will allow you to import a previously downloaded mod with the correct modname . If I remember correctly it's with the F10 key.

[HebaruSan]

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

Hello, so my issue is; CKAN downloads at 2kbps and it makes it impossible to download some mods on top of the speed issue downloads never finish, so

That's probably this:

• https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/CKAN/issues/2210

GitHub has some undocumented throttling rules for downloads that seem to relate to total bandwidth and/or number of simultaneous downloads (both guesses as it's not documented), and CKAN unfortunately queues up every file in a given batch of downloads in parallel.

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

I wanted to know if there is a way to download the zip files manually and put them on the downloads folder of ckan and have it detect it

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

So to summarize: How do I make CKAN detect a file that I downloaded manually?

Yes, in the 1.24 pre-release:

On 1/5/2018 at 7:16 AM, politas said:

A feature that might otherwise go easily unnoticed has been added, though as yet only in the new consoleui. It allows you to add mod zip files that you have downloaded using some other tool (eg your browser) to the CKAN cache. To access it, press <F10> to bring up the menu, select "Import downloads...", and then select the directory where your downloaded files are placed (eg, your default "Downloads" directory). Any files not already in the CKAN download cache will be copied over with the correct name for future CKAN use.

 

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

tried asking in the IRC but had no reply as of yet (sincerelly the thing is abandoned or you need to wait for ours to see a reply).

That's been my experience when seeking help on IRC for 90% of projects. You're relying on the right people being online at the right time (not just connected to the channel but actively paying attention), and having time to help you, and often they're busy. By the time they do have time to read, you've (frequently) already given up. I would recommend following the CKAN forum thread to keep up with recent general issues and development, or the issues list on GitHub to see the known problems.

4 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

(can't do that right now because CKAN adds some sort of code in front of the name),

what is that code in front of the name of the files?

It's the first 8 characters of the SHA1 of the download URL interpreted in hexadecimal.

https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/CKAN/blob/26ff29b007c8a1c6bbfe774007023f567bb2c0ca/Core/Net/NetFileCache.cs#L323-L331

[Rocket In My Pocket]

13 hours ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

Hello, so my issue is; CKAN downloads at 2kbps and it makes it impossible to download some mods on top of the speed issue downloads never finish, so I wanted to know if there is a way to download the zip files manually and put them on the downloads folder of ckan and have it detect it (can't do that right now because CKAN adds some sort of code in front of the name), tried asking in the IRC but had no reply as of yet (sincerelly the thing is abandoned or you need to wait for ours to see a reply).

So to summarize: How do I make CKAN detect a file that I downloaded manually? what is that code in front of the name of the files?

Well, not trying to be "that guy."

But; if you are going to download the .zip manually anyways, why not just unzip it and throw it in your Gamedata folder?

Installing it manually to CKAN is prolly more actual steps than just installing it manually to the game.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

Edited January 21, 2018 by Rocket In My Pocket

[linuxgurugamer]

Because ckan will install it correctly, accordind to the netkan file.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

10 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Because ckan will install it correctly, accordind to the netkan file.

I assume if he's got the wherewithal to figure out which folder to put in what CKAN folder, he's just as capable of figuring out which folder goes in the Gamedata folder?

I'm not being anti-CKAN or anything just saying; I think it's actually less mouse clicks/steps to install it manually the old fashioned way.

If he's having issues with CKAN and just wants his mod to work now, that's a viable alternative, even if it's just temporary till he gets CKAN sorted.

[linuxgurugamer]

53 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I assume if he's got the wherewithal to figure out which folder to put in what CKAN folder, he's just as capable of figuring out which folder goes in the Gamedata folder?

I'm not being anti-CKAN or anything just saying; I think it's actually less mouse clicks/steps to install it manually the old fashioned way.

If he's having issues with CKAN and just wants his mod to work now, that's a viable alternative, even if it's just temporary till he gets CKAN sorted.

The netkan files can contain many things other than where to install a mod.  For example, it can contain dependencies, exclusions, filters, etc, all of which are not easy to figure out sometimes.

[Drakomis]

12 hours ago, HebaruSan said:

That's probably this:

• https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/CKAN/issues/2210

GitHub has some undocumented throttling rules for downloads that seem to relate to total bandwidth and/or number of simultaneous downloads (both guesses as it's not documented), and CKAN unfortunately queues up every file in a given batch of downloads in parallel.

Now this I didn't even know!

What do you know, I was wrong! So it wasn't spacedock throttling down the downloads?! Odd, I swear on some of them when I reinstall it'll throttle down with spacedock. Maybe I mistook it for github?

Either way, I apologize if I have any wrong info.

3 hours ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I'm not being anti-CKAN or anything just saying; I think it's actually less mouse clicks/steps to install it manually the old fashioned way.

Just putting my own experience on this, but when I first started using KSP years and years ago, the only way to install mods was "the old fashioned way". Trail and error depended on how many crashes was deemed acceptable to play the game. In fact, game crashes were so common it was pretty much overlooked. With this in mind, imagine how much of a relief it was when CKAN came along. Here was a program that, right off the bat, solved all the issues with dependencies and installation, and never, ever, overwrite or alter a file that it did not install itself. This has helped me on so many occasions to easily resolve issues that the old fashioned method took me hours, or even a day to figure out.

Honestly, the only issues I have with games are cosmetics now compared to what I dealt with before without CKAN. For example, my biggest issue right now is I'm using a mod that I'd like to uninstall freely. Without it, I lose two specific craft I love, and would love to find out the part sources to take off the ships so they'll show up on vanilla. CKAN, installations, and the mods themselves are not the specific problem. It's all cosmetic issues now. This is a major change from when I did all this stuff. Additionally, it allows you to export a file list of your favorite, installed mods. I am a huge proponent of CKAN. It's helped my life so much with this game.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

13 minutes ago, Drakomis said:

Just putting my own experience on this, but when I first started using KSP years and years ago, the only way to install mods was "the old fashioned way". Trail and error depended on how many crashes was deemed acceptable to play the game. In fact, game crashes were so common it was pretty much overlooked. With this in mind, imagine how much of a relief it was when CKAN came along. Here was a program that, right off the bat, solved all the issues with dependencies and installation, and never, ever, overwrite or alter a file that it did not install itself. This has helped me on so many occasions to easily resolve issues that the old fashioned method took me hours, or even a day to figure out.

Honestly, the only issues I have with games are cosmetics now compared to what I dealt with before without CKAN. For example, my biggest issue right now is I'm using a mod that I'd like to uninstall freely. Without it, I lose two specific craft I love, and would love to find out the part sources to take off the ships so they'll show up on vanilla. CKAN, installations, and the mods themselves are not the specific problem. It's all cosmetic issues now. This is a major change from when I did all this stuff. Additionally, it allows you to export a file list of your favorite, installed mods. I am a huge proponent of CKAN. It's helped my life so much with this game.

Well I'm glad you like it so much!  Like I said, I'm not against it or anything. I think it's a great program, and I recommend it all the time to people who don't seem very computer savvy. (Nicest way I could think of to say that; not intended as an insult or to imply that you aren't computer savvy if you use CKAN.)

It's way better than the bloated, ad-infested steaming pile of Mystery Goo that is Curse and it's downloader/installer program.

That said, I don't actually use CKAN personally but maybe I'm just old fashioned.

[TranceaddicT]

3 hours ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I assume if he's got the wherewithal to figure out which folder to put in what CKAN folder, he's just as capable of figuring out which folder goes in the Gamedata folder?

I'm not being anti-CKAN or anything just saying; I think it's actually less mouse clicks/steps to install it manually the old fashioned way.

If he's having issues with CKAN and just wants his mod to work now, that's a viable alternative, even if it's just temporary till he gets CKAN sorted.

Installing mods is more than drag/drop.  There can be dependencies that the mod needs to function properly, e.g. nearly EVERY mod requires ModuleManager as a dependency.  Additionally, there are mods which conflict with one another; CommNetConstellation and RemoteTech come to mind.  CKAN handle these.

28 minutes ago, Drakomis said:

For example, my biggest issue right now is I'm using a mod that I'd like to uninstall freely. Without it, I lose two specific craft I love, and would love to find out the part sources to take off the ships so they'll show up on vanilla. CKAN, installations, and the mods themselves are not the specific problem. It's all cosmetic issues now. This is a major change from when I did all this stuff. Additionally, it allows you to export a file list of your favorite, installed mods. I am a huge proponent of CKAN. It's helped my life so much with this game.

1

Create a Drakomis_LEGACY folder and move those parts to that folder.  Then delete the offending mod.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Just now, TranceaddicT said:

Installing mods is more than drag/drop.  There can be dependencies that the mod needs to function properly, e.g. nearly EVERY mod requires ModuleManager as a dependency.  Additionally, there are mods which conflict with one another; CommNetConstellation and RemoteTech come to mind.  CKAN handle these.

Every mods release page details all this quite well, if you aren't opposed to doing some reading.

If a mod has a dependency, it will say so; if there is a known conflict, it'll be listed. The info is all available. I mean, I install all my mods manually and I almost never have issues.

Once again though; I don't think I can be any clearer about the fact that I was only offering him an alternative solution to his problem, not being "anti-CKAN." To each his own; if you like CKAN, you go right on and use it, I couldn't be happier for you.

[w1r3dh4ck3r]

Thanks guys, this helped me a lot, I just waited for my connection to be less loaded (late at night) and downloaded the things I needed one by one,  about CKAN autodetecting my already installed mods I tried that and its really hit and miss, some it detects but the majority it does not and I just wanted to have 1 place where I install all my mods, this idea of doing some mannualy and others with a software only serves to confuse me even more (I do believe the modding scene for KSP is a total mess but that might be just me, it feels very much like the modding scene for M&B Warband).

 

Just so I avoid a little bit of the flak about that last comment, is there a way for me to use mods and maintain a certain amount of organization in my parts list in game? I mean it's very hard to figure out especially if you try to play a campaing.

[HebaruSan]

1 hour ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

about CKAN autodetecting my already installed mods I tried that and its really hit and miss, some it detects but the majority it does not

Could I somehow persuade you to report the problems you had? That's brand new code, and the sooner any problem is identified and fixed, the fewer people have to experience it:

• https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/CKAN/issues/new

1 hour ago, w1r3dh4ck3r said:

M&B Warband

(Vive la patrie!)